OSCE Mission to Skopje-supported project brings together students from different communities through workshops on ecology and nature preservation | WPN World People News

More than 100 students, teachers, and representatives of civil society and the international community gathered on 5 June 2018 in Skopje for an event of a project sponsored by the OSCE-supported grants programme, the Building Bridges Fund, aimed at increasing interaction among students of different communities.

Participants of the project sponsored by the OSCE-supported grants programme, the Building Bridges Fund, Skopje, 5 June 2018.

Children and youth from different communities who attend the Institute for Rehabilitation of Children and Youth, the Rajko Zhinzifov primary school and the M Educational Center participated in different research activities, learning about the ecology and nature preservation, the importance of diversity and strong relationships.

“It was great to see such a diverse and enthusiastic group of young people, including children with disabilities, making friends across the lines that divide them,” said the Acting Head of OSCE Mission to Skopje, Jeffrey Goldstein. ”Without dedicated teachers and school administrators, this project couldn’t have happened. This is why the Building Bridges Fund will continue to award grants to schools and kindergartens with different languages of instructions throughout 2018 and 2019,” he said.

Netherlands Ambassador Wouter Plomp said that appreciation and acceptance of differences is a prerequisite for a strong and prosperous society. “We are happy that the Netherlands has supported this project that brings together children of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. The bridges they have built can be a learning example for all of us.”

Biljana Sterjadovska Stojcevska, Project Manager, said: “The students learned to take care of themselves, as well as of the others, to take chances and risks, to co-operate and to lend a supporting hand to their fellow students regardless of the language they speak.”

“I am glad that the Building Bridges Fund made it possible for us to meet new friends,” said a student Angel Angelov. “We had a great time together and I hope that similar activities will be organized in the future.”

Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe